EFFECT OF CLOSING DATE ON POTENTIAL SEED YIELDS FROM GRASSLANDS HUIA AND GRASSLANDS PITAU WHITE CLOVERS

For ‘Huia’ and ‘Pitau’ white clover stands in their second productive season, growing on a moisture-retentive Wakanui silt loam in Canterbury, closing dates for seed crops were mid September, mid October, mid November, and mid December. With mid October closing as a control treatment, over two seasons mid November closing resulted in a higher seed yield, but closing later than this markedly reduced seed yield (500 kg/ha to 230 kg/ha). The effect of mid December closings was not attributable to moisture deficiency. © 1979 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.